Sweden

Two weeks ago Rick called on a Tuesday morning and said, "I have the next week off! Lets go somewhere."  And that "somewhere" ended up being Sweden.  By the end of the day, we found a place to stay, were packed and ready to leave the next morning for an eleven hour drive to Sweden. 

I had never been to Sweden or was even familiar with its landscape.
My favorite first impressions of Sweden: red houses with white trims-ninety percent of the houses and barns were this style, two lights hanging in front windows, tiled fireplaces, and purple flowers that lined the roads.

We stayed in a true farmhouse from the layout, to the stove, to the fireplace, to its location.  The owner's grandfather bought it in the 1930s.  

I bought wooden clogs at a market for Chrissie.  To me they are the essence of Sweden: red with white trim and heart cutouts.

 The childrens' favorite first impression of Sweden: the ferry ride.  Before Matthew saw the ferry, he was convinced the car would sink the boat.   They were in awe that we could drive our car onto the ferry.

And Chrissie was thrilled that there was "seafood" on the ferry, which then led Matthew into a series of questions as to where the fish came from, who caught it and how did he catch it, etc.  Finally, he decided that the captain of the boat caught the fish.